Covered in this issue:
Tsunami: What has the quake and its aftermath meant for expat kendoists? Michael Ishimatsu-Prime relays his experiences in this gripping report.
A Proposal for New Regulations and Organisational Reform in Kendo —An Attempt to Make Kendo More Comprehensible for the World— By Ōtsuka Tadayoshi (Translated by Alex Bennett) - A thoughtful and sometimes radical suggestion of how to reform the current kendo regulations, from the late Ōtsuka sensei's last (2005) book, "Kenshi ni tsugu" (A proposition to kenshi)
Hanshi Says: Kojima Masaru Hanshi introduces his stoic kendo philosophy. Kojima-sensei has made a living as a fisherman and then a teacher, eventually becoming an accountant in a company. He has represented Japan at the WKC, and also competed in the Meijimura Taikai for 8-dan masters. He holds the rank of Hanshi 8-dan in kendo and Hanshi 9-dan in iaido.
Shinai Kyogi: Following Japan’s defeat in the Second World War, the martial arts were banned by Occupation authorities as they were considered to be “undemocratic” and conduits for imparting “ultra-nationalism” and “militarism”. All the budo arts were subject to the ban, but kendo was viewed as being particularly unsavoury due to the symbolism of the infamous Japanese sword. In reality, there were many diehard kendo enthusiasts who continued practising away from the wary eye of the authorities, but kendo in schools was absolutely prohibited. It was gradually reinstated again in part through the creation of a hybrid sporting version of kendo known as “shinai-kyōgi”. Alex Bennett takes a look at the historical significance of this development.
Dr. Stephen Nagy's Pedagogical Opportunities and Challenges of Teaching Budo: Beginning in September 2010, Dr. Nagy began teaching a university level course entitled “Japanese Budo: Tradition and Transformation from the Edo Period to Today” at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
Full details on our main site here: http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/content.php/185-Kendo-World-5-4-Printing-Now!
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